


Flinch and Fall

by memories_are_all_we_have



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memories_are_all_we_have/pseuds/memories_are_all_we_have
Summary: A training session turns into a moment of vulnerability for Zuko and leads to him reliving one of the worst days of his life. Luckily, his friends are there to support him.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 530





	Flinch and Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I realized I didn't remember Zuko ever telling the others how he got his scar and wrote this really fast after rewatching a few episodes of Avatar. It's been a while since I watched the entire series, so forgive me if any of the characters seems OOC.

Zuko and Aang were sparing.

It wasn't uncommon by any stretch of the imagination. Zuko was a tough teacher and he had Aang training nearly every second he could. Usually the others had their own tasks or training to do, but it was nearing the end of the day, so they were just sitting and watching. The two went back and forth, neither immediately able to gain the upper hand. Toph yawned and leaned back into a pillar, her eyes shutting as she stretched back. "You two gonna wrap it up soon?" She called, kicking out her legs. The pair ignored her, too focused on one another to respond.

Zuko lunged forward, sending blast after blast of fire at Aang. Aang danced backwards, dodging each one, eyes never leaving Zuko. Sokka rolled his eyes as Aang moved forward next, pushing Zuko back with a burst of air.

"Come on, guys, Katara says we can't eat till you two are done!" He called. Again, they ignored the comment.

Aang, seeing an opening as Zuko steadied himself, slammed his foot down, sending tremors through the ground. The earth beneath Zuko's front foot erupted, sending the young prince stumbled. Before he could regain his balance, Aang shot more air at him, this time enough to knock Zuko down and onto his back.

In the past, Aang would have stopped here, but training with Zuko had taught him that such action would only result in his teacher coming after him again. So Aang raced forward and, in a heartbeat, he was standing over Zuko, fists up and flying to attack. Zuko had just managed to push himself into a sitting position when Aang's fist came flying in, fire burning just above his knuckles.

Two things happen simultaneously.

First, Aang stopped, extinguishing the flames and halting his fist just inches from Zuko's face. Or rather, where Zuko's face had previously been.

At the same moment, Zuko let out a scream unlike anything any of them had heard from his before. His eyes went wide and he scrambled back, only stopped when he slammed into a boulder.

Aang froze, blinking in shock as his teacher stared at him, eyes huge and glazed over. "Zuko?" He asked cautiously, straightening. As he did, the others joined him, brought over by the firebender's panic.

"What happened?" Katara asked, the first to reach Aang.

"I don't know. We were just sparing." Aang explained. He frowned and took a step towards Zuko. "Zuko, what-"

"No!" Zuko snarled, trying to move further away, but only succeeding in pressing himself harder against the rock. His voice was a mixture of rage and terror. "Stay back!"

"Zuko, it's just me. I'm not-" As Aang tried to go towards him again, Zuko snarled and lashed out at him, sending a streak of fire through the air. Aang yelped and leapt back, stumbling when he landed.

"Stay- stay away from me!" Zuko repeated, voice trembling.

"What the heck is going on?" Sokka demanded. "Are we back to him trying to kill us? Because I do not want to deal with that right now."

"That's not it." Toph said, voice troubled.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know. But I can feel his heart rate, and it's going crazy. He's afraid. Like 'thinks he's gonna die' afraid."

"What? But we were just training!" Aang protested.

"Yeah, well-" Before Toph could continue, Zuko yelled again. This time, it was a low, guttural noise. The group looked to him in time to see him pull his knees towards his chest and thread his fingers through his hair. He hunched forward, eyes squeezed shut and entire body tensed.

"No! No, please!"

The others exchanged looks, their helplessness written across their features. At last, Katara took a step forward. "Katara, wait-" Aang tried, reaching for her. She brushed him off, however, and went to Zuko's side. She crouched beside him, close, but not touching.

"Zuko, can you hear me?" He groaned, but didn't speak. "It's Katara. I'm here to help."

"No- no, please, don't!"

"I'm not going to leave you." Her voice was gentle and soothing. "Can you tell me what you're seeing?"

"No. I can't, please, I _can't_."

"I won't make you." Katara promised. "But whatever it is, it can't hurt you. I'm right here." When he didn't respond, she spoke tried something else. "Is it okay if I touch you?" Zuko didn't speak. Instead, his grip on his hair tightened and he leaned further into himself. "I'm going to touch your arm. Tell me if I make you uncomfortable."

"Katara-" Sokka's voice was hushed, but she waved him off, eyes never leaving Zuko. Slowly, she put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. A shudder ran through his body, but he didn't try to pull away.

"Zuko, can you open your eyes for me?"

"I- I don't-" He shook his head and a sob pushed itself from his body. "It hurts."

"What hurts?" Katara's brow furrowed and she scanned him for injury, but saw none. So whatever it was must be part of the memory that was causing this.

And then it clicked.

There was only one injury that he could possibly be this distraught over.

While she was connecting the dots, Zuko sobbed again, this one coming from deep in his chest. It was followed by another, then another and another until he was shaking with the effort. Katara's heart twisted and she cautiously lifted her hand to one of the hands still pulling on his hair. "Zuko, you're going to hurt yourself. You need to let go." Almost immediately, Zuko let go, his arms falling limply. Katara shifted so she was kneeling in front of him, her hand sinking back to his shoulder. "Can you open your eyes? She asked again. This time, he did. Their gazes' met, and Zuko collapsed, falling into her and crying, his entire body shaking with the effort of it. Katara was startled, but took it in stride, wrapping her arms around Zuko and lifting a hand to lightly stroke his hair.

They stayed like that for several minutes, until finally Zuko managed to pull himself together. When he pulled back, Katara released him. Zuko shifted into a sitting position, gaze down, and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Sorry." He said, voice rough.

"It's okay." Katara stared at him, debating what to do. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

She waited another moment, then rose. "Okay." She offered him a hand, which he accepted. "Well why don't you go rest while I finish making dinner? That training session looked rough."

"Right." Zuko nodded, still staring at the ground, then headed towards the house. After a few steps, however, he paused. "Katara..." He took a deep breath and didn't look at her. "Thank you."

"Of course."

He nodded and continued on. She watched him go, worry and theories running through her mind.

. . .

Dinner came and went. Katara went to Zuko's room and quietly informed him when the food was ready, but he didn't move. He simply stayed on his side, back to her, and she relented. She returned to the others, shaking her head and sighing. They ate without him, the room unnaturally silent the entire time. They were just about ready to all give up and go to bed when they heard shuffling. The group looked up, seeming to all hold their breath as Zuko shuffled into the room. They watched as he slowly entered and took a seat in their little circle, eyes firmly on the ground.

"You're probably all wondering what happened today." His voice was rough and low.

"You don't have to explain anything." Katara assured him.

"Yes, I do." He took a breath and exhaled slowly, then lifted his head. His features were set. "I'm sorry for my reaction today. I-" He paused, hands clenching on top of his knees. "I've never reacted that way to training. I don't know why it happened today."

"It's okay. I'm just glad I didn't actually hurt you." Aang offered cautiously, glancing towards Katara, then back at Zuko.

"No. You just... You made me remember something." He sighed and his eyes shut, just briefly. When they opened again, he continued. "When I was thirteen, I begged my father to let me into his war room. When he said yes, I was so excited. I thought- I don't know. I thought I'd finally get to see what being Fire Lord was like." He shook his head. "Their plan- the general was going to sacrifice an entire battalion as a distraction. I spoke against his plan."

Zuko stopped again, but no one spoke. The silence had returned to the room, but this time it was deadly. They were all watching him, waiting for the terrible ending they knew was coming. "My father was furious. He said I'd disrespected the general." His voice was tight as he said the next part. "Do you know what an Agni Kai is?" He glanced at them, and when no one spoke, he nodded. "It's a firebender duel. A fight for honor. The first one to burn their opponent is the winner."

"The general _burned_ a kid?" Toph asked, eyes wide.

Zuko shook his head. "No." The roughness has returned to his voice. "I thought- I had disrespected the general, so I thought he was who I'd be fighting. But he wasn't. I had disrespected the Fire Lord, so he was the one I was supposed to duel."

"Your _father_?" Sokka's voice was filled with horror. "Your _father_ burned you?"

"Yes." Somehow, Zuko's voice remained steady. "I told him I was sorry. That I wasn't going to fight him. He called me a coward and... Well. You can guess the rest."

"Zuko, that- that's awful." Katara's voice was soft and her eyes damp. "I'm so sorry."

"It was a long time ago." Zuko assured her. "I'm only telling you because... that's where I went today. I don't know why, but I did. And I think you deserve an explanation."

Before anyone else can speak, Zuko found himself being hugged. Arms were tight around him, nearly crushing, and he simply sat, blinking, for a moment. Then he craned his neck to look at the person holding him, still startled. "Sokka?"

"We're gonna beat the crap out of your dad." Sokka declared, still hugging Zuko. Zuko blinked at him again, then a smile crept onto his face. He snorted, then chuckled, and soon he was laughing with his entire body, arms rising to hug Sokka back. The rest of the team joined in, their laughter chasing away the heavy silence from earlier. They all moved in, joining the two boys in a group hug. Zuko sat in the middle, engulfed by these people who, only a short time ago, had been his enemies. These people who had, in that short time, become more like family than his own father.

For the first time in a long time, he truly felt safe. He felt loved.


End file.
